Nagaland to set up cane & bamboo technology park: Development Commissioner

Dimapur, Sept 19: During celebration of the World Bamboo Day at the Nagaland Bamboo Resource Centre in Chumoukedima on Thursday, State Development Commissioner Temsunaro Aier announced the setting up of a state-of-the-art cane and bamboo technology park at the centre.

Attending the programme as the chief guest, Aier said the park would serve as a centre for research, training, and production. The celebration was held on the theme, ‘Next Generation Bamboo: Solution, Innovation and Design’.

Aier described bamboo as the “green gold” of Nagaland, highlighting its deep cultural, ecological, and economic significance. She urged the stakeholders to sustain this legacy with pride and responsibility. She highlighted the bamboo’s role in food, shelter, craft, art, and livelihood.

Aier stressed the need for sustainable practices, citing bamboo’s rapid growth, carbon absorption, and soil conservation benefits, making it a strong ally in the fight against climate change.

She commended the Nagaland Bamboo Development Agency (NBDA) for promoting bamboo-based enterprises, training artisans, and supporting self-help groups. She said products like handicraft, furniture, incense sticks, blinds, mats, and bamboo shoots are gaining recognition, turning Nagaland into a hub for bamboo industries.

In his keynote address, Kuko Mero, State Mission Director, NBDA, said with over 43 species of bamboo, Nagaland has immense potential in bamboo-based sustainable development.

He said the NBDA has carried out block plantations, covering 1,506 hectares, trained over 200 entrepreneurs and artisans, and set up two common facility centres, generating employment for more than 500 people.

Mero added that the agency has also established processing units, nurseries with 1.5 lakh saplings, rural haats, bamboo bazaars, and upgraded the Nagaland Handicrafts Emporium in New Delhi and Kolkata under the brand, ‘Naturally Nagaland’.

On the occasion, a weeklong training programme for 26 artisans was also launched to enhance their skills in bamboo design, manufacturing, and value addition.

Certificates and machinery were distributed to the trainees, and the Bamboo Entrepreneur Award was presented to Bukhaio Khiamniungan.

A special publication titled Facilitating Ease of Doing Business in the Bamboo Sector in Northeast India: Removal of Compliance Burdens was also released in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry during the programme. The event featured a bamboo theme song by Musik-A School.

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